Why is it important?

Why does a content strategist need to know this?

Successful content optimization means understanding your audiences and designing your language rules around the capabilities, needs, and desires that will make content consumption most effective. Content optimization involves more than just tone and voice.

Consider these aspects of content:

Reading grade level: Ensure that the vocabulary and sentence construction match the reading grade level of the audience.

Grammar: Strike a balance between grammatical perfection and engaging content. The audience may not care whether a term is “fewer” rather than “less.” They may care about confusing text full of dangling participles and split verbs. Optimization makes language livelier, more interesting, and more appropriate to the audience.

Non-native readers: The text may be written in English, but your audience often includes readers who aren’t native speakers. Optimize the content for them, too, by using short words, short sentences, and simple sentence construction.

Additional Resources:

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Each week, we feature a guest expert who will define and help you understand an important term every content strategist should know and understand. 52 weeks. 52 terms. 52 definitions. 52 essays from 52 experts. This is the beginning of a common language. The language of content strategy.

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